Capital Facts

The irony of misleading mailers

Published by admin on Mon, 08/20/2018 - 11:09am

    The Democratic Party of Illinois has sent out what could wind up being the most unintentionally hilarious campaign mailer of the season.
     “Mica Freeman’s Plan: No Budget, No Pay,” the DPI mailer blares on behalf of the Democratic candidate challenging Rep. Mark Batinick, R-Plainfield.

The county where GOP party is a mess

Published by admin on Mon, 08/13/2018 - 1:03pm

 

Lake County politics has been rocked to the core this month by the abrupt resignation of state Rep. Nick Sauer (R-Lake Barrington) and the announcement by Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor that he is dropping out of his re-election campaign after earlier disclosing that he was suffering from drug addiction. 

Can’t always trust what you Google with politics

Published by admin on Mon, 08/06/2018 - 2:23pm

 

Last month, Rep. Christian Mitchell (D-Chicago) was interviewed by Chicago Public Radio about his new role as interim executive director of the Democratic Party of Illinois.

Districts swinging toward Republican

Published by admin on Mon, 07/30/2018 - 4:49pm

    President Donald Trump visited an Illinois county last week that was once considered a Democratic Party bastion, but has been slipping away to the Republicans throughout this decade.
     Madison County, just across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, has been known for two things for as long as most can remember: Union workers and trial lawyers.

Dem dollars to build up party at local level

Published by admin on Mon, 07/23/2018 - 12:17pm

    A couple of years ago, a little more than 1,400 voters took Democratic primary ballots in sparsely populated Warren County, which is about an hour west of Peoria.  Almost twice that many took Republican ballots.
     The Warren County Democratic Central Committee is not exactly a campaign powerhouse.  The organization officially opened its PAC with $923.72 in June 2016.  By June 30th of this year, the county party reported having $917.72 in the bank.  I couldn’t find any records showing how that $6 was spent.

Pritzker campaign exerts its will on Madigan

Published by admin on Mon, 07/16/2018 - 12:55pm

    Right up front, let’s just stipulate that the recent appointment of state Rep. Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago, as the Democratic Party of Illinois’ interim executive director will not usher in an immediate sea-change.
     First, this is a temporary, part-time gig.  Rep. Mitchell told me he has no interest in staying on after the election and will continue with his part-time law schooling through the fall campaign.

Ditch the hokey straw bales and reboot the day

Published by admin on Mon, 07/09/2018 - 11:33am

    Back in the old, old days, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley would pack passenger trains full of loyalists and send them all to the Illinois State Fair’s Democrat Day rally, where they were treated to rousing speeches by party leaders and candidates.  Gov. Rod Blagojevich kept that tradition alive on a somewhat smaller scale by chartering buses filled with supporters.  

Rauol leads Harold in early attorney general race

Published by admin on Sat, 06/30/2018 - 11:49am

 

A political action committee run by top officials of Operating Engineers Local 150 reported a $255,000 contribution last week from a “dark money” organization controlled by the same Local 150 honchos.

The anti-Madigan message might give an edge

Published by admin on Mon, 06/25/2018 - 10:38am

    Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will be on the ballot in just one of Illinois’ 118 House districts this November, but his name and reputation will be featured in electoral battles throughout the state as Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Republican Party use Madigan against every Democrat from JB Pritzker on down to maybe even mosquito abatement district races. Can his lousy statewide image be used to defeat his fellow Democrats?

Poll numbers say Dems need to get to work

Published by admin on Mon, 06/18/2018 - 2:10pm

    According to a recent Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll, Democrat JB Pritzker leads Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner by nine points, 36-27, with 26 percent choosing an unnamed third-party candidate and 11 percent undecided. In other words, slightly more people said they preferred third party and/or were undecided than supported the frontrunner Pritzker.